This weekend we're having friends over after church to share a meal and hopefully lots of laughs and enjoyment. I like feeding people and I always hope they enjoy the meal and the time spent together. When I was planning what to serve I decided on souvlaki. Yes it's Greek. It's shish kabobs actually with the meat marinaded in lemon, oil, oregano, and other spices. I've made it before and it's pretty good. So I went to my cookbook to make my list of ingredients. This is where food and family meet. Some years ago my brother, Phil, gave Mom a cookbook he found in a bookstore.
As she looked at the faces she was surprised, maybe a bit startled to see her Mother in that group.
I'm sorry this is blurry but it's the best that I could get from the photograph. Mom's mother died when my Mom was 10. So to see her face in a cookbook randomly picked out by my brother who didn't know all that was inside was a big surprise. Mom was in her eighties when she received this gift and then to suddenly be brought back to that 10yr old who lost a dear mother was really a crazy thing to happen. But a wonderfully happy thing also. I found the cookbook on Amazon and bought it and really love it. When Mom passed away at age 94 in 2020 she was at home and was failing quickly but she reached out her arms and said: "Momma, Momma!" and then passed away. It's my hope that her Mom came to get her at that moment and now they are together with her Dad, brothers, my Dad and my brother and many others who have passed away. I don't know what your beliefs are but mine are filled with hope that this is true. My Grandmother's name was Sophia. When my son and his wife had their last child, a daughter, they named her Sophia without remembering that was this child's Great Great Grandmother's name. Families are forever.....love yours daily and don't forget to tell them.
9 comments:
Hi Yaya. That is so cool that you found your mom's picture in that cook book. So sorry to hear of the passing of your brother-in-law.
What a wonderful story, YaYa. I'm astounded! What were the chances that your mother, in her old age, would receive as a gift from her son, Phil, a random cookbook with a picture inside of the mother she lost when she was ten? It sounds like the far-fetched plot of a movie on the Hallmark Channel. I notice in the group shot that the two women standing directly behind your grandmother are placed farther back than others, essentially forming a 4th row. That extra space around your grandmother makes her stand out, as if she was given a position of greater importance in the group.
I am touched to learn that your mother reached out to her mother in her last moments on earth. So it was with my mother, YaYa. As family members stood at my mom's hospital bedside shortly before she died, she suddenly looked past us and up toward the ceiling and clearly uttered, "Hello, mother!" Something for us all to think about. Like you, I hope and have faith that happy reunions will indeed be in store for us when we go to the other side. This includes being with our beloved pets again.
I just asked Mrs. Shady if she has ever made or eaten souvlaki and she said "no," and indicated she never heard of it. Based on your description, I told her what it is, secretly hoping she'll make the Greek kabob dish for me.
Thank you for sharing this amazing true story, dear friend YaYa. Stay safe and warm this weekend, and please give my new friend Annabelle a pat and a treat.
What a sweet thing to find after so much time. Your mother must have been a lovely woman.
Wow what an awesome story. Your family found a needle in a haystack and did not realize it at the time. I so love Greek food. Use to go down to Greektown in Detroit lots of times for some good food. Not so much anymore. Have a great weekend and I am sure your friends will love the food too! Janice
This is such an amazing story. What are the chances of this ever happening? I'm so glad that your mom got this thoughtful gift from her son and discovered the photo of her mother inside. I'm just blown away by this. I'm sure her mother was there to greet her.
I hope there are some great Greek recipes inside. I love Greek food but the only thing I make is Spanakopita. I have a friend who married a Greek and I was introduced to Greek food at a Greek restaurant and her own cooking. So yummy. I'd love to eat at your place.
I'm glad that you found a copy for yourself.
Take care and stay well.
Hugs,
Julia
What a lovely story about the cookbook. Like you i do hope that it is true they are all just waiting for our time to guide us over.
Cathy
Ps the food sounds good it has been so long since I fed anyone but us I wonder if I remember how.
What time are we eating??? ;-) Wow...what a beautiful and uncanny set of events. I don't believe in "coincidences" ... there is another hand at work here. And for that I, for one, am glad. I also believe in a life beyond this and in the great reunion. There are so many who have witnessed others passing who seem to be greeted by a loved one as they pass, I am not sure how one can doubt it. Hope you enjoy your company as I am pretty sure they will enjoy their meal. Stay warm! ~Robin~ (Your house looks beautiful wrapped in snow!)
Great surprise, great story.
A beautiful story! All Moms are special. Enjoy your dinner party with church friends. I know they will enjoy your hospitality. I would love to be there!!
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